Innovation

🍳 Alana Abbitt, part of the team at Miso Robotics, is focused on improving kitchen environments with IoT and intelligent systems. Miso recently shrank their robotic solution's size by 40% and shifted to a no upfront cost rental service model. They've cut installation time by 75% in response to partner feedback. Collaborations with WD Partners and Ecolab validate the tech's ROI and operational benefits. Miso's pop-up restaurant program immerses all team members in real kitchen work to enhance product development.

🎲 Marriott Bonvoy survey found 43% of Americans likely to book an unplanned trip within two months to a random destination this year. To mark 1 million U.S. hotel rooms, Marriott Bonvoy introduced Marriott Bonvoy Roulette, a chance-based digital experience. From May 7-26, members can spin a wheel at MarriottBonvoyRoulette.com for instant prizes and entry to win 1 million points and a 4-night stay at Canal House of Georgetown. Additional prizes include two-night stays at various U.S. Marriott hotels.

🏢 Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, the only Designer-CEO of a Fortune 500 company, emphasizes design leadership in his 10 lessons for building a global company. At Config 2023, Chesky discussed Airbnb's foundation in 2008 and its current reach, designing trust for over 150 million users worldwide. He advocates for a design-centric approach, akin to Apple's model under Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, focusing on quality, core services, and cohesive roadmaps. Airbnb now releases 80% of its products biannually and has restructured to empower designers, merging product management with marketing. Chesky stresses the necessity of product marketing, leadership reviews, and the flexibility to innovate beyond design systems. Credits to Max Wendkos for summarizing the lessons on Twitter.

💳 At Unfold last week, a session on fintech in hospitality drew a full house. Susanne Sandler stated that by 2026, 10% of US financial flows, about $7 trillion, will be embedded. Fintech is integrating into products, enhancing customer experiences, and boosting revenues. Super apps like Uber exemplify the seamless payment experience. Hospitality can learn from other industries that use fintech for gains described as "mind-boggling." Mews Founder Richard Valtr highlighted the opportunity cost of standard flexible rates in hotels, suggesting a data-driven, fintech-powered future.

🏨 Jens Schmitz appointed as Vice President of Marketing for Dorint Hotel Group starting April 1, 2025. Schmitz, with over 15 years of experience in marketing, particularly in digital strategy and eCommerce, will oversee marketing for Dorint Hotels & Resorts, Hommage Luxury Hotels Collection, and Essential by Dorint. His focus includes brand growth, innovation, and customer engagement, aiming to enhance the group's market presence in Germany and Europe. CEO Böckeler and COO Brandes express strong support for Schmitz's role in advancing the group's marketing approach.

📱 AI agents are revolutionizing retail loyalty programs. Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s voice-powered assistants are actively influencing consumer decisions. Eagle Eye is adapting its loyalty platform in response. Key shifts include the rise of AI as personal loyalty concierges, the decline of mass-market offers, a new era of offer optimization, and increased importance of trust and transparency. Retailers must establish real-time digital connections with customers to remain visible to AI and stay competitive.

💬 Amazon introduced Amazon Nova Sonic on April 14, 2025, streamlining speech-enabled application development. It combines speech understanding and generation into a single model for creating conversational AI with low latency. Initial support includes American and British English, with more languages planned. Amazon Nova Sonic integrates with external services and APIs, features responsible AI practices, and offers expressive, real-time speech generation. It is available in the US East (N. Virginia) AWS Region and supports a 300K context window with an 8-minute default connection time.